A Novel Gas Jet for Laser Wakefield Acceleration
Supersonic, highly collimated gas jets and gas-filled capillary discharge waveguides are two primary targets of choice for Laser Plasma Accelerators (LPA) . Present gas jets have lengths of only 2-4 mm at densities of 1-4-10^19 cm-3, sufficient for self trapping and electron acceleration to energies up to ~150 MeV. Capillary structures 3 cm long have been used to accelerate beams up to 1 GeV. Capillary discharges used in LPAs serve to guide the pump laser and optimize the energy gain. A wall-stabilized capillary discharge provides a transverse profile across the channel that helps guide the laser and combat diffraction. Gas injection via a fast nozzle at one end provides some longitudinal density control, to improve the coupling. Gas jets with uniform or controlled density profiles may be used to control injection and are being integrated into capillary experiments to add tuning of density. The gas jet for electron injection has not yet been optimized. AASC has completed all tasks established at the time of the Ph-II proposal. We have sold versions of our valve/driver/nozzle hardware to the Univ. of Nebraska, Imperial College/London, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), and LBNL/BELLA. Two other groups at IC have included budgets in recent proposals to purchase valves from AASC in 2013. Our valve/nozzle has been used in diverse applications, including as gas jets in LPAs, as cluster jets in LPAs, and as controlled supersonic targets for laboratory astrophysical plasma interactions. Our expertise in gas valves developed via the SBIR program has also allowed us to sell larger versions of our gas jets to Sandia National Lab. as a load for the 18MA Z- driver.
- Research Organization:
- Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-08ER85030
- OSTI ID:
- 1059441
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-AASC-85030
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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